Veteran of the Day graphic created by Nikki Lumbre for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Nurse Corps Veteran Lille Margaret Steinmetz Magette. Lille served during World War II from 1943 to 1945.

Lille wanted to be a nurse after her father passed in a car accident and one of her friend’s trained to become a nurse. Her mother, however, did not approve, so she was not able to become a nurse at first.

Lille got married and her husband died a few years later from cancer, so as a young widow she decided to pursue nurse training. She went to St. Mary’s College to learn how to become a nurse, and while she was there Pearl Harbor was bombed. Lille wanted to serve so badly that as soon as she was able to, she enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps. She was assigned to various posts in the United States before being stationed at Fort Jackson in preparation for going overseas.

Lille was sent overseas on a big luxury ship. She landed in England and worked at a psychiatric hospital. She saw many men who had been wounded by gun fire, and men who had a hard time adjusting to military service.

In July 1944, Lille was sent to France to set up a tent hospital. While there, she saw soldiers walking along the road and she heard live fire, but she was never scared. Lille saw men with serious wounds, and she treated them with pain medication and antibiotics that made them comfortable until they could be transferred to a hospital further behind the lines.

After being discharged in 1945, Lille worked at a VA hospital until retirement. Lille died in 2014.

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Contributors:

Graphic designer: Nikki Lumbre

Editor: Kaylee Hogsed

Fact Checker: Kat Blanchard

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Author

Savannah Labbe

Savannah Labbe is a senior at Gettysburg College studying history and religious studies. She is originally from Belgrade, Maine and is currently a writing intern at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.